This green infrastructure, in case you were wondering, is essentially good urban planning and landscape design focused on capturing and filtering pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site.

image via EPA

Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include elements currently popular in green building and home design such as green roofs and permeable paving materials, as well as alternative designs for streets and buildings, strategic placement and planting of of trees, rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems.

To get the ball rolling on this new, nationwide strategy, EPA will work with local governments, watershed groups, tribes and others stakeholders in 10 cities that have put such green infrastructure to work in the past and plan to expand on these efforts in the future. EPA plans to offer support for these cities as they expand their green infrastructure strategies and highlight them as models for other municipalities around the country.

EPA points out that these communities stand to do more than simply improve local water quality; by putting stormwater to work in the urban landscape, rather than letting it roll off into waterways, cities can grow greener, improve air quality and reduce the heat island effect.

Susan DeFreitas has covered all manner of green technology for EarthTechling since 2009. She is a graduate of Prescott College for the Liberal Arts and the Environment, and has a background in marketing green businesses. Her work on green living has been featured in Yes! Magazine, the Utne Reader and Natural Home.